Sport
6 August, 2026
STANDING FIRM: Saints keep cool in bitter stoush
The Saints held their nerve to down Boort in their North Central match - the first in a decade where two senior sides had finished with more than 100 points.
TORRID times at Lord Nelson Park on Saturday have shown the growth in character of the developing St Arnaud team.
The Saints held their nerve to down Boort in their North Central match - the first in a decade where two senior sides had finished with more than 100 points.
Action was not only around the goal square.
Flashpoints just before half time and again in the final minutes of the third term had Saints falling to the ground and umpires trying to regain control.
Boort’s Carlos Egan was shown a yellow card just before half-time following an incident in which he appeared to strike St Arnaud’s Liam Loverso.
Boort officials told NCN Herald yesterday morning that Egan had accepted a one-week suspension for an early guilty plea to striking.
Tensions again flared in the closing stages of the third quarter following a further incident involving Egan and St Arnaud’s Liam Loverso. After receiving treatment from the club trainers, Loverso left the field to undergo concussion protocols and took no further part in the match.
St Arnaud has delivered its most complete performance of the season, overcoming an early 18-point deficit to defeat Boort by 30 points at Lord Nelson Park on Saturday.
While still not the finished product, St Arnaud displayed its growing maturity by repeatedly finding the answers throughout the afternoon to secure a well-earned 30-point victory.
Boort couldn’t have asked for a better start, kicking the opening three goals of the game to race to an 18-point lead before Max Hungerford finally broke through for St Arnaud’s first major.
The Saints quickly settled, with William Jackson and Torin Petrie helping erase the deficit before the contest developed into an entertaining shoot out.
Late goals to Mitch Egan, Loverso, Austin Lowe and Jackson saw the home side head into the first change with an 11-point advantage.
The Magpies again mounted a challenge early in the second quarter, kicking three unanswered goals to briefly regain the lead.
However, St Arnaud refused to be rattled. Hungerford and Jay Kirwood helped wrestle back momentum before Jackson and Petrie capped a dominant finish to the half, with the Saints booting the final five goals of the term to establish a 20-point buffer at the main break.
From that point on, the contest carried a far greater edge, with both sides bringing plenty of intensity for the remainder of the afternoon.
St Arnaud again with Hungerford and Petrie continuing to prove difficult match-ups inside 50 as the Saints gradually extended their advantage throughout the third quarter.
Boort added a late goal before the final change to reduce the margin to 32 points.
St Arnaud wasted little time reasserting its authority after the final break, with Jake Hicks booting the opening goal just 20 seconds into the quarter.
While Boort continued to press for the remainder of the afternoon, the Saints consistently found the answers to keep the Magpies at arm’s length on the way.
The Saints finished with a well-balanced spread of contributors in front of goal. Hungerford and Petrie each kicked five goals, Kirwood added four and Jackson finished with three, while Mitch Egan, Loverso, Austin Lowe and Jake Hicks all chipped in with majors.
Nick Maishman was named St Arnaud’s best player, with Harrison Saunders, Hungerford, Joe Maishman, Kirwood and Darby Schilder also recognised among the Saints’ leading contributors.
For Boort, Liam Bianco, Connor Dalgleish, James Byrne, Carlos Egan, Jack Smith and Kayne Rutley were named their best.
The St Arnaud win was another significant step forward. While the Saints know they remain a work in progress, their ability to recover from an early deficit, respond every time Boort challenged and produce four quarters of consistent football made this their most complete performance of the 2026 season.
The high-scoring contest also etched its place in recent North Central Football League history, becoming the first senior match since Round 2, 2016 in which both sides surpassed 100 points. Ironically, the previous occasion also involved St Arnaud, with Wycheproof-Narraport prevailing 20.8 (128) to 20.5 (125).
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